Found
by Ludwina
Summary: Rob and Jess are engaged and moving in together when Jess recieves a call from Dr. Krantz asking for her help with a major missing child case.
1. Chapter 1

I snuggled backwards into Rob, unfurling his tightly closed fist and intertwining my hand with his. More than anything about our relationship; the sex, the banter, the bikes, I loved waking up in the morning wrapped in Rob, his wonderful Rob scent filling my head. Of course, we hadn't done this all that often, it had been barely a week since we had gotten back together, and gotten engaged. One heck of a good week though…

I felt Rob stirring behind me, felt him nestle the top of his head into the base of my neck.

'Morning,' I whispered, barely audibly. He only murmured in reply.

o.o.o

Watching Rob in the mornings was truly a sight for sore eyes. It seemed that the sight I had witnessed back at his hotel when he was in New York was a daily occurrence, that is, him rising from the bed bleary-eyed with his dark hair sticking up in some interesting tufts, dressed only in Calvins, and wandering around like that for a few minutes, allowing me to take in the sights, before retreating to the shower. A shower that I was often soon dragged into…. Not that I was complaining. In fact I was beginning to quite enjoy our morning rendezvous.

Life back in Indiana was proving to be more enjoyable that I had ever hoped. And what felt like a holiday was fast becoming a reality. I had applied for a transfer from Juilliard to Indiana University the previous day, and Mike had already packed up all my stuff from my apartment and sent it home, eager to move straight in with Ruth (ugh). At that point in time, I was sitting at Rob's kitchen table, leafing through the previous day's paper, (our daily newspaper doesn't come out until three in the afternoon) looking for an apartment I could rent. I _really_ couldn't stand living with my mother any longer.

I heard Rob's footsteps coming down the stairs, and smiled at him as he walked into the room. He leaned over me and kissed me, before walking over to the fridge, giving me ample chance to admire his fine behind. Yum.

He sat at the table, and smiled at me across his cereal. I felt his bare toes stroking my foot under the table and shivered at the sensation. 'So, what are your plans for today?' he asked.

'I have to go and pick up all my stuff from New York, the courier arrived. And I'm going to have to start apartment-hunting soon, but I'm not sure I can face it today. We'll see.'

Rob's brow wrinkled and he inclined his head. 'You're apartment-hunting?'

I nodded. 'Yeah. I can't live with my parents forever. Hell, I doubt I can even live with my mother another day. She's busy planning our wedding now. She wants me to wear an aubergine dress-she tells me that aubergine is the hot spring colour.'

That earned me Rob's trademark half-amused half-disgusted grin. 'I can just imagine it. You'd be beautiful.' I snorted. 'Um, Jess…,' Rob continued hesitantly '…I thought this was a given when I…proposed, but I was kind of expecting you'd move in here?'

I looked at him in surprise. I hadn't yet worked that one out. 'Oh! I didn't realise!' I breathed. I was touched. I leaned over the table and kissed him softly on the lips. He moaned, then broke away.

'Do I take that as a yes, then?'

I pressed my lips back to his, then opened them slightly, feeling his mouth mirror mine. 'Yes!' I whispered into him.

It was minutes later, when we had risen, and Rob had me pressed up against the kitchen bench, that my phone rang. I broke away, though Rob tried to pull me back to him, and pulled my phone out of my back pocket. 'Hello?' I asked, breathing fast and hard.

Dr. Krantz's voice filled my ear. 'Jess? Look, I'm sorry to do this so soon after our talk, but we have a major situation.'

I tried to slow my breathing. 'And…?'

He sighed. 'And we really, really need your help.'


	2. Chapter 2

Typical. Whenever my life seemed to be going in the right direction, good old Cy and the FBI managed to step in and interfere. So much for Cyrus Krantz's plea of 'it's time to do some good for _you_,Jessica'.

'Look Jessica,' Cyrus's voice came down the phone, 'You know I wouldn't call you unless it was an emergency, and I know I promised you I'd leave you be, but we're really in a ditch here…and as far as I can see, you're the only way out.'

'Shoot.' Aw, what the hell? Might be some pocket money, anyway…

'We have a situation with the FBI. Recently, the child of one of my esteemed colleagues went missing. We presumed it was just an isolated incident, a random kidnapping, but this morning something more drastic happened. The daughter of the head of the FBI disappeared. And it just so happens that when we looked into it, we found that three children whose parents are retired FBI agents have vanished too.'

'Five kids?' I was astounded, and I couldn't hide it.

I could hear Cyrus sigh over the phone. 'Five kids. Gone, without a trace. All were taken from their beds in the middle of the night within the last two weeks. All under 7. All children of present or former FBI agents. One of them the chief's daughter. There have been no notes, no ransom demands, and no clues. And now that the Boss's kid has disappeared, the operation has to be stepped up a notch.'

'Which is where I come in.'

'Which is where you come in. I'm heading up this operation, and I'm at a dead end. I have no leads, and nowhere to turn. I'm only asking this of you as a favour.'

I was silent. There wasn't much I could think of to say. I could see Rob staring at me across the table, and when I made eye contact he cocked an eyebrow.

'Jessica?' echoed Cyrus's voice down the phone.

'Fine. Fax me the pictures.'

'Thanks,' he said in a relieved tone.

'On one condition.'

I heard Krantz inhale on the other end of the line, his unasked question hanging between us.

'I want in on the operation. Fax me all the details you have about the case, I'm not going to be left here in the dark, simply the dreamer giving you the answers.'

'Fine,' he replied tersely, then the phone disconnected.

o.o.o

Pulling into Lumley Lane, I couldn't help but be regretful the ride was over. The sky was blue, the same turquoisey-blue as Blue Beauty, and the ride had been fast and smooth. I loved being in Indiana, where nobody's expected to walk anywhere, and where there are plenty of stretches of tar to speed down, the position of Rob's place in Grit country only increasing this count. The freedom of having a hog like Blue Beauty to ride was exhilarating.

I let myself into the house, and called out to anyone who happened to be there. Nobody replied, so I wandered upstairs, figuring I may as well take a load of my stuff back home with me when I left. I was already getting into the habit of calling Rob's place my own, and couldn't wait until I was settled in. Not that I'm not already settled, but you know…

I was in my room, my belongings which had been left behind when I left for New York spread out in piles around me, when I heard the footsteps on the stairs. Not clumpy, so not either of my brothers, and not heavy like my father's. I sighed. My mother was not really the person I wanted to confront over my moving out first. I had counted on at least my father being there to back me up. But there was no way to escape now.

'Hi Mum,' I called out. No point in frightening her.

'Jess? Is that you?' I truly felt like saying 'No, mum, it's that other woman that calls you Mum.' But I didn't. No point in getting her agitated before I have even started.

Instead 'Yes, Mum, it's me.'

Her face appeared in the doorway. 'What are you doing?' Her brow crinkled.

'Mum…'I wasn't sure I could say it. 'I'm…um… moving out.'

Her face lit up 'You found a place? Oh that's wonderful! I had a look in the paper this morning for an apartment too! Did you take the place on Braid St.? I thought that looked fabulous! Even two bathrooms!' I think she must have noticed my face, because she quickly added 'Not that I'm in a hurry to get you out of here or anything! You know you are welcome here anytime. In fact, I like having you here! It's nice having my daughter at home…' she trailed off, unsure of what my lack of reply meant.

In fact, I was unsure too. Not only was I not all that sure about telling her about moving in with Rob, but the last conversation I had had with her had been her finding out, in a not particularly savoury way, about my engagement. Well, that and the fact Rob and I had had sex, of course.

So I just wasn't quite sure how to tell her.

So I didn't.

'Jess…?' I was brought back from my thoughts with a thud, Mum's face still twisted in confusion. 'Did you choose that place on Braid St.?'

'Um…no.' I racked my brains. 'It's a house…not advertised…heard about it through a friend.'

Mum's brow furrows deepened further. 'I'm sorry to ask, but how are you paying for this? A whole house? Look, I know it's your money, but your father and I would really prefer it if you saved the money from the FBI and from the TV show for a rainy day…' her voice petered out once again.

'Yeah…well I have a roommate. And it's a great deal. Anyway, I have to get going. Take some of this stuff. I guess I'll get the rest later; I only have Bl-… I mean, the bike, right now.' And I picked up the bag filled with stuff and ran out of the house, yelling behind me 'Byeeeee.'

Okay, so shoot me. That didn't exactly go so well. I figured that it would come right. It had to. Everything else was…

o.o.o

I pulled up at Rob's garage a few minutes later, parking in the staff parking bay round the back. Walking through the back door, I said hi to Jake at the counter, then continued through to the front foyer to find Rob. I can't say grey overalls are a very sexy look, so I was just glad when I found him supervising in normal clothes- a fitted black top and pale jeans, bulging and worn in all the right places.

Yes, I was talking about his calf muscles.

I walked up behind him and slid my arms around his waist, resting my fore head on his back. 'How you doin'?' I asked. So I'm a closet Friends fan. Say what you like. I don't care.

He turned round in my arms, and encircled me in his. 'Pretty fine, sweet-thang. How bout yourself?'

I tried my best to look offended. 'Sweet-thang? What is that?'

'Only thing I could think of to describe you. Don't worry, I'll come up with something we both like at some stage.' His arms slid lower on my back, and he leaned in to nuzzle my neck. I giggle. Okay, YES I giggled. NO, I am not proud of it.

'Stop it,' I said, sounding more stern than I felt. 'You made me giggle!'

'Again, again!' he tried.

'You sound like a teletubby.'

'Worth a shot.'

He took his hands off my ass and instantly I missed the warmth of his body.

'Just came by to take in the sights, or is there a more urgent matter that needs to be taken care of?' he grinned at me.

'Nah, the sight of your fine behind in those jeans was just a bonus. I came to see if you had a car I could borrow. I need to pick up my boxes from New York, and ferry some of my stuff from my parents' place to yours.'

'Ours.'

'What?'

He tilted his head to the side. 'Our place, not my place.'

Aww. I pressed my lips to his to express my gratitude. A few minutes later I broke away, grinning. 'I think we're getting a bit hot and steamy for the workplace. The mechanics will start to complain soon.'

His voice was husky when he replied. 'If they complain I can always fire them.' He leaned in for more.

I laughed and placed both hands on his chest pushing him away.

I felt his muscles flex under my hands. I love his muscles. He's incredibly well defined, and when he takes his shirt off, I just can't-

'Honey?' His amused voice broke into my daydream. 'I think that after you've pushed me away you're supposed to take your hands off my chest.'

'Oh. Right.' I had the audacity to blush.

He chuckled. 'About the car…?'


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This is only half the chapter originally posted. The other half was a little… M-rated, and I decided the story would benefit more from a K rating than it would from the second half of this chapter. If you would like to read the rest of this chapter, PM me and I will email it to you.**

That evening, chores done, errands run, I swung into Rob's garage again, dropping off the Volkswagen he had lent me. I had expected to leave the keys in the slot designed for just that, and was surprised when I saw lights on inside the office. I let myself in the back door, and saw Rob sitting at the desk. He glanced up, and I saw his emotions flitting across his face, a rare occurrence for Rob. There was surprise, pleasure and was that…love?

Yes, I decided as he smiled at me, that was love.

He stood up 'What are you doing here?'

'Oh, came past to drop off the car. Didn't realise you'd be here, though. It's late.'

'Mmmm, had some paperwork to fill out. I called our place, but there was no answer, so I figured you were still out getting stuff, or that you'd stopped by your parents place and gotten held up there.' He leaned back against his desk.

'I've gotten most of my stuff-not all of the stuff from Mum and Dad's. I bumped into Mum there earlier today.' I felt an involuntary shiver run down my spine as I remembered what I'd said.

Rob obviously realised something was wrong, because he asked 'Did you tell her? How'd she take it?'

'Yes…'

'Yes what?'

'Yes, I told her I was moving out.'

He knew me too well. His face changed from loving to half-amused, half-annoyed. 'But you didn't tell her you were moving in with me, right?'

I groaned. 'I just- It's just- She asks so many questions! She jumps the gun, and asks me questions I can't answer before I've even told her what's happening. I wanted to tell them all together, or at least Mum and Dad together so that Dad could back me up.'

Rob smiled at me, a reaction I totally hadn't expected. 'Okay, but just don't let it get like it did when you didn't tell them about our relationship,' he warned me 'I don't want to end up in hospital before you let them know.'

'Thanks,' I said, relieved. And, being Rob, he knew what I meant, just shooting me a wry smile. 'Anyway, what happened to my hello kiss?'

'I thought you'd never ask.'


	4. Chapter 4

Sunlight filtered through my eyelids, creating a horrid rosy glow which filled my head. I groaned, and rolled over onto… empty bed? I flung my arm out, feeling around on the sheet, eyes flickering open as I felt only cool cotton. I sat up as Rob walked through the door between the bedroom and the bathroom, fully dressed, rubbing his hair with a towel.

I frowned at him. 'Oh…. I missed it.'

He grinned at me, and lifted me up off the bed. 'You're right. I'm not feeling squeaky clean yet.' And he pulled me back through the door through which he had come.

o.o.o

Fully rejuvenated, I arrived downstairs to find a whole wad of paper sitting in the fax machine. I sighed. Up until now I had been able to kid myself that I was helping without actually doing anything. Leafing through pages of typed 'FBI Confidential' headed paper, I came to what I was looking for. Photos.

The first four pictures were the sort of which I had come across before. Holiday snapshots or uncomfortable school photos of mostly cute, but always perfectly normal children. Josephine Lumley was first; a mousy little child in shades of brown-mud brown eyes, olive brown skin, chocolate brown hair. On the next page was Edward Toolson, every parents dream, a blond, blue-eyed, slightly chubby little boy of about three. Floppy brown dreadlocks adorned the next child, easily the most stunning of them all. Her eyes, contrary to those of Josephine's, were a warm, rich brown, although the two pairs did share the same cheeky glint. Pearly whites stood out of her dark, clear skin, and the photo was captioned 'Nyeema Barnaby'. The third child didn't share the attractiveness of those before him, but he had the same impudent smile and cheeky glint in his eyes. He was unremarkable, but for this very reason he stood out. I memorised his name, Franklin Bradburn, along with the names of the others for future reference.

It was the last child who was different. This child was clearly the eldest of the bunch; she had to have been seven. Her features were erratic; she looked as though somebody had had a bag of mismatched pieces left over from making the world, and decided to throw them altogether and create this mish mash of a face. She had a finely sculptured, almost perfect nose, but this was where the perfection stopped. Her eyes were widely spaced, and very flat, her mouth large and thin. Her ears stuck out like handles, and the combination of all these things, planted on her milky, obviously part-Latino skin was bizarre. But the thing that set her apart from any other child I had met was her piercing, determined eyes. In them was concealed intelligence and maturity far beyond her years, and the defiance and pride with which she met the photographer full on was breathtaking. I knew, instinctively, that this Emily Carlos was the Chief's child.

Rob came up behind me, and, resting his chin on my head, surveyed the children in much the same way I had. When he came to Emily, he let out a long, low whistle, and turned my head to meet his eyes. 'What is it about her,' he asked 'that's so…special? So…captivating?'

I knew exactly what he meant, but I didn't know how to answer him. 'I'm not sure. We're going to have to wait and see.'

He looked at me, and lifted one side of his mouth lazily. 'One thing's for sure. She is a taste of things to come. This case's going to be a hard one.' And he graced me with a full smile.

Although the problem at hand seemed complicated from all the material Krantz had sent me, there was another task which I had to take care of which seemed to me to be even harder.

I had to tell my mother I was going to be living in sin with a man who was not only two years older than me, a Grit, and with a police record (sealed, as Rob kept reminding me) but one who was not Skip.

I had a feeling she would not be ecstatic.

First up was a call home. Luckily my father picked up, and I quickly arranged with him for Rob and me to have dinner at their place that night. The rest of that morning was spent in a frenzy of planning what to say, when to say it, what to wear, what to bring, when to go. I had no idea how I was going to tell my mother, but I had a funny feeling that whichever way I did it, I was going to stuff up a very important relationship in my life. Either I told her, and wrecked the relationship between us even further, or I didn't, and the relationship I had with Rob would lie in tatters. I had made my choice already, though, and I knew it was the right one.

When I had made the decision to move into Rob's house, I hadn't thought about how much depended on it, and how much I was going to be hurt whichever choice I made. But I was determined I had made the right one, and was going to have to try and do the best I could, while ironing out the kinks.

o.o.o

After several hours of frenzy, I got over myself, and settled down to Google some stuff for the case. I figured I may as well make myself (constructively) busy. None of the kids had any hits on Google, nor did their surnames. I was reasonably surprised at this (most FBI agents have at least a mention-Cyrus is plastered all over Google) but not worried. Oh no. I was not worried. Because I had the mother of all search engines hidden away on my laptop.

Okay.

Maybe not technically _my _laptop.

It's a laptop I, kind of, um…

Borrowed from the FBI.

I had to take a memento with me when I left, didn't I?

Well, _I_ think it was fair. The least they could do was give me a top of the range, million dollar (okay, maybe not quite) laptop.

So I had this awesome, confidential search machine on my laptop which could give me anything. No, seriously. If I wanted to I could dig up dirty laundry on _God_. These measly little FBI agents weren't going to be a problem.

But when I typed in Josephine's name, nothing came up. And when I typed in her father's name, which I got from Krantz's notes, nothing came up either.

And it was the same with all the other children and their parents. And it made me think; if _all_ the information the FBI has on these agents is so confidential that even the most select members who have access to this search machine can't access it, who were these people?

Obviously Krantz was not telling me something.


	5. Chapter 5

I couldn't worry about Krantz and his little project just yet. I had my own problem to deal with, and whilst I had already made my decision to take the bull by the horns, I was beginning to get a little (okay, a lot) nervous, and although I couldn't back out, I was damned if I wasn't going to see my parents looking as good as possible.

o.o.o

Finally prepared-no mean feat in the state I was in-I waited anxiously for Rob. He knew as well as I did we would be expected at six, for chit-chat and nibbles, then drinks at six-thirty before dinner served exactly at seven, so had arranged to meet me at (our!) home at five-thirty.

This strict dinner regime was, as any sane person who knew, or knew of, my family would be able to tell, not implemented by my father, the chef, but by my mother. To her, appearances were everything, and despite the fact that the core of our meals was not quite 'normal', as she would say –the house husband preparing the food, not the housewife- it was still extremely important to her that the table cloth was crease-free, the flower arrangement without a single blemish and –most importantly- dinner served, without fail, at seven o'clock.

It was this anal-retentive streak that made me most anxious about the news I had to break to her. The idea of Rob and I living together before marriage would be cause of much dismay to her. However, it would not be the idea of us having sex before marriage which would be the root of her prejudice –she had already found out, in a most unsatisfactory manner, about our, shall we say, first night time romp- but instead the fact that _others_ would see us living together, and know that Antonia Mastriani's daughter was sleeping with her older, Grit boyfriend, _before they even got married_. Once again, in her mind, the core issue could, and should, be overlooked for appearances sake.

o.o.o

Rob had, of course, arrived with plenty of time to spare and so it was a few minutes early we arrived on my parents' porch.

I glanced down at myself, unsure of the short, revealing black dress I was wearing. I was worried that my parents-my mother at least-would notice the out-of-character care I had taken with my appearance and be alerted to the fact something was up before I was ready to let them know. As my eyes met Rob's, however, my apprehension vanished. I had come to the conclusion that dressing up like this was worth it for Rob's reaction when he arrived home; no greeting, just that hungry look in his eyes, and frantic, frenzied kissing, back to-the-wall, and a bit of…uh…touching.

Okay, it was groping, but a girl's got to have a bit of fun before she gets married.

I felt my hand instinctively rise up to touch my lips, hoping the dark lipstick I had fished out from the bottom of one of my boxes would cover the bruised colour I was sure my lips would soon turn. Rob's gaze, still fixed on mine, recognised what I was doing, and understood. He grinned, part sheep, part imp. He reached out and hooked his arm around my waist, pulling me to him, his hip bumping mine.

'Sorry.' He whispered, lips brushing my ear and sending shivers down my spine, chuckling under his breath all the while.

I forced my grin into a frown and replied only 'You're not, but I will forgive you. Just this once.'

I rang the door bell and the door was opened immediately, startling me a little. I don't know why I was surprised; what else could I have expected? My mother had probably been watching from behind the curtain and wondering what was taking us so long to ring the bell.

She hugged me, whispering in my ear that it was good to see me, then ushered me past her into the hall.

She looked awkwardly to Rob, and after a moment's hesitation she embraced him. 'Good to see you here, Robert. You two should come around here more often-Tasha and Doug never seem to leave.' I smiled to myself, glad she was making an effort, although Rob looked just a tad ill at ease.

'Nice to see you too, Mrs Mas-uh…' Rob sent me a desperate look over her shoulder, but I only smiled as if I had no clue _whatsoever _to the reason of his angst. '…uh…Ma?'

He made a fist at me over her shoulder, having taken offence, I'm sure, at the sight of me in silent hysterics in the hall.

They broke apart, his face crimson, her expression distinctly uncomfortable. I decided to take pity on them, and so began 'Rob,' here I couldn't resist a jibe, '_honey_,'they both winced, 'maybe it would be easier for everyone if you just called Mum Antonia or Toni.'

Both faces were visibly relieved.

o.o.o

Dad's dinner was, as usual, delicious, and being with him and Mum made me realise how much I had missed them while I was in New York. I reached under the table to squeeze Rob's hand. I smiled to myself, glad that I had already realised how much I missed and needed him. No doubt about it, the place I belonged was here.

Conversation flowed easily and civilly, my parents and fiancé getting along well. This surprised me, but I rebuffed myself for that surprise-why shouldn't the three people I loved most get on well?

Once Chigger had recognised Rob and me, he had calmed down considerably, and had spent most of the meal under the table, snuffling eagerly for scraps, and I noticed that my father and I weren't the only ones slipping him leftovers.

Dinner was perfect, and by the time dinner came around I was looking round at the four of us; two happy, in-love couples, thinking that we were as perfect as the meal. But, as they say, all good things come to an end, and I had the perfect bombshell with which to end this good thing.

o.o.o

The subject of my moving out was not broached until after dessert was cleared away. We were sitting in the living room; Dad in his leather arm chair (of course), Mum in the sofa chair, and my body propped up sideways against Rob's, legs stretched out across the rest of the couch. I was surprised my mother was allowing us to sit like that, but I didn't even sense any disapproving glances being shot our way, so I guessed she well and truly had accepted Rob, and consented to our relationship. I had expected this would happen all long, for nobody, especially not anybody related to me, could stay immune to Rob's charms for long.

Chit-chat was idle and content until my mother casually said 'So, Jess, what's the new house like? Have you seen it, Rob?'

I swear, the tension in that room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Rob's body stiffened under mine, and he shot me a look which clearly meant It's Now Or Never. I was determined to say it, to just spit it out. _Grab the bull by the horns._ I repeated over and over again to myself _All you need to say is 'Actually, I'm moving in with Rob.' Say it, say it, say it._

'Actually, Ma, I'm moving in with Rob.'

'Don't call m- _What?'_

I bit my lip, and took a deep breath, ready for the explosion.

'I'm moving in with Rob.'

My mother went instantly white, but my father smiled calmly 'That will be lovely. Is the farm still running, Rob? That property will be worth a lot in the future-if you two were to hang on to it, I imagine you'll make a tidy profit.'

'B-bu-b…_Joe!_' was all my mother could splutter.

Rob squeezed my hand reassuringly.

'Yes, sir, the farm is still working. I've got workers on it at the moment; I can't say I'm much of a farmer myself. But I think after this harvest I'm going to let the crops go-they're hardly worth their keep, and I'm not at all interested in trying to make them more profitable. I've never envisaged the farm as being our primary source of income, but I would like to keep the orchards going.'

My mother had recovered her composure, 'Jessica, come through and help me make the coffee. We'll leave the men to their talk.'

I shot Rob a panicked look, but he only squeezed my hand tighter and whispered 'Good luck.'

Reluctantly, I followed Mum to the kitchen, where she soon rounded on me. 'You're _moving in _with him? _Out there_?'

I was stunned. 'You're cross because I'm moving into Grit country?'

'I'm not cross, I'm bemused. How could you choose _him_? He's not the kind of person someone like you should marry. Yes, sure, he's charming and nice, but he's a _mechanic _for god's sake. He lives on a _farm_. He has a CRIMINAL RECORD! And not only are you going to _marry _him, but now you're going to live with him before you even have the wedding. People are going to think I didn't raise you properly!' she hissed.

'Mum, this is exactly what I expected from you! How dare you judge my choices like this? I love Rob, and I'm going to spend the rest of my life with him, whether you like or not. And if you can't deal with it, then it's your problem, not mine. Put aside your prejudice just this once for me! I've found the right person, and I'm not letting him go again just because you don't like who his parents are! He's a good person, he's 'charming and nice', as you so rightly put it, but he's so much more as well. I don't have to justify my choices to you, and I'm not going to.' I was fuming mad at her.

I turned to go, and as I passed through the door, I looked back at her and added, 'We'll go now. Let me know if and when you decide to stop being such a snob.'

I marched through to the living room, where my father and Rob had muted their conversation in order to eavesdrop on mine. Not that, I reflected ruefully, they had to try very hard; we had been speaking (okay yelling) so loudly, I'm betting the Abramowitz' heard every word. Rob smiled as I entered the room, and my father said, in a neutral tone, 'Way to go.'

'I think we should probably go now, Rob.' He chuckled. 'Thanks for dinner, Dad. And thanks for being understanding. I bent down and kissed his cheek. 'I'll speak to you later.'

o.o.o

Rob and I walked out to the car, where he stopped, and circled his arms around my waist.

'You okay?'

'Yeah, I'm okay.' I whispered into his chest, but my to my surprise I found I was snuffling.

Then he said something I totally didn't expect. 'Are you sure you want to do this, Jess?'

My head snapped up to meet his anxious, blue-grey eyes. '_What?_'

He held my gaze, albeit uncomfortably. 'It's just- It seems like you have to sacrifice so much, you have so many obstacles to overcome, just to be with me. I mean, I love you more than anyone else, but I'm just saying that if it's too hard… let me know. I won't hold it against you.'

'_Rob!_ Are you crazy? I wouldn't give you up for anything, but I would give anything up for you. Sure, my mum means a lot to me, but not nearly as much as you do. Don't worry about it, she'll come around. And you? Rob, more than anything else I can think of, I want to live with you, I want to marry you, I want to be with you forever.'

He smiled at me, but still asked, in a tone I could barely hear, 'But _why_?'

'Why do I want to be with you forever? Because I can't imagine a life without you. I can't imagine a life where I don't talk over my decisions with you, and you don't talk over yours with me, where you're not the person I speak to first, who comforts me and looks after me, and vice versa. I want to have your babies, and I want us to watch them grow up, growing old together. You're the only person who turns me on, and I'm betting you'll be the only one forever. I understand you, and you get me too. For the rest of my life I want to be able to touch you, kiss you, press my body up against yours at frequent intervals. I want your face to be the last I see, or mine yours. I get tingles every time I see you, or hear your voice, and I never want those tingles toq go away.

'Why do I want to live with you? Because I want to wake up every morning with you lying next to me. I don't want days to go past without us seeing each other, I want nights apart, not nights together, to be rare. When I have nightmares about the war, I want it to be you next to me to wake me up and comfort me. I want to be able to have sex with you as often and as late as I like. I want to go to sleep curled into your body, wake the same way. I want you to always be the one I come home to at night.

'Why do I want to marry you? Because, even though it won't change our relationship, it will make it official. I do want to make my parents proud, and this is the way to do it. I want our kids to feel that our family is normal. I want everyone else to recognise us as couple. I want what's mine to be yours, and yours to be mine. Most of all, I want any other girl who takes a look at you to know that you're taken.

'And most of all? Because I love you infinitely.'

He kissed the top of my head and grinned at me. 'So you're sure?'

'Damn skippy.'

'This is love, not lust, right?'

'Definitely. Wanna go home and have sex on the hall floor now?'

'Nah. Rather just do it here.'


	6. Chapter 6

Fire, all around me, I couldn't see, couldn't see anything, it was blinding me. Orange, red, yellow, flashes, flashes, flashes, blinding me. And the faces… the faces…with the scabs and the scars and the blood. I couldn't cope, couldn't cope. And all I could hear was screaming, somebody, everybody screaming and screaming and screaming. And then I was screaming, too, for out of the fire, assisted by nothing but air, rose a red-hot poker. Tip flat out, it swam towards me, and then there was a searing, burning pain. And then nothing, but dull intense sting and a hand on my wrist, a hand gripping me, gently sure, but still gripping me. And tugging me. Tugging, tugging, tugging. And I tried to fight it off. Clawing, bighting, scratching. Fighting. But I couldn't break the grip. Because of the light. Blinding me. And the screaming.

I cringed, and when I opened my eyes there was lightness. And the only screaming I could hear was my own.

o.o.o

The thumb on my wrist began tracing small circles in the palm of my hand, while its matching pair began unbuttoning my top and pulling it off.

'Hey, there. Shhh, shh. It's okay Jess. It's okay. Let's get these clothes off you. That must have been some dream, honey. You're absolutely drenched. Hey, there, stop your crying. Come on, you're safe now. I got you. Let's go. Come with me.' Rob's soothing voice washed over me as I bawled and shook hysterically into his chest. He slid out of bed from beside me, taking my top with him, but I clung to him. 'Hey, hey. Don't worry. I'm still here.' He walked around to my side of the bed and lifted me up, one arm behind my knees, the other cradling my head. 'Let's go baby, let's go.' He carried me through to the bath room, where he set me down and slid off my boxers. Then, still supporting me with an arm around my waist, he leaned down and pulled off his own trackpants. Half dragging, half carrying, he somehow managed to get me into the shower, where he turned on a cool flow of water, and held us under it, talking all the time. 'Come on now, let's get you cooled down. You must have a temperature of about 100 degrees. You're boiling! Let's wash all this sweat of you. There's so much of it I can hardly tell what's shower water and what's sweat!' My wails had dulled to snuffling and sobbing, but I was still shaking like mad, and couldn't stand on my own two feet: Rob was the only thing keeping me upright. Reaching over to grab a flannel, Rob rubbed me down, washing off all the slippery, shiny sweat coating my body. 'Okay. You're okay.' Cleaned and cooled, he hugged me to his chest, rubbing large, comforting circles on my back. I clung to him, unable to let go, still seeing awful, scarred faces flashing before my eyes, screams resonating in my ears.

o.o.o

By the time Rob turned off the tap, I had calmed down enough to support myself as he wrapped me in towel and led me back to our room. There, he sat me on a chair, and proceeded to pull another pair of trackpants and a t-shirt out of his drawers. 'Here we go, honey. All your other stuff's still in your boxes, but this will do 'til tomorrow morning. There you go.' He slid the towel off me, and his t-shirt over my head, before tugging on his own trackpants. 'Sorted? Okay. Wow, I never knew one girl could produce this much liquid! You've drenched your pyjamas, my pyjamas, the bed. Let's get all this sorted,' he murmured to me as he stripped the bed, and bundled up the soaked sheets and pyjamas. 'Okay, I'll just go dump this in the machine, and I'll be back in two ticks.' He dropped a kiss on my head as he went out, and I sat waiting for his return, shivering in his t-shirt, which because of the height distance came down to mid thigh on me. Rob returned, a stack of freshly folded sheets in his arms, and made up the bed. (With, might I add, perfect hospital corners.) He tucked me in, and climbed in too, spooning behind me. His fingers traced patterns on my thigh, and once my sobs had receded to nearly nothing, he asked 'Now, do we need to tell Dr. Krantz about this right away, or can it wait 'til morning?'

This sent me off on a fresh bout of sobbing. 'I don't even kno-o-o-ow where I was!' I wailed as Rob's arm tightened around mine.

'Okay. Don't worry. We'll work it out in the morning. Get some sleep now.'

And even though I didn't think I would be able to sleep a wink, I fell asleep almost immediately in Rob's arms, and woke late the next morning to find him still awake, watching over me as tears poured down my cheeks.


	7. Chapter 7

I woke again, several hours later, to find the bed empty beside me. Dejected as to the fact there was no Rob to cuddle, or at the very least a warm imprint of his body to cuddle into, I rolled out of bed and descended the stairs. As I staggered down, I caught sight of said boyfriend slumped over the newspaper at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of coffee. At this sight I had to smile, for Rob was dressed the same way he had been when I had last seen him. That is: topless, dressed only in low riding grey trackpants. And let me take this opportunity to mention, my boy is CUT! As I smiled, my face seemed tight, and, sure enough, when I raised a hand to touch my cheek, I found my face streaked with tears. Way to make a sexy impression on exquisite male Jess, I told myself. I tried to back up and return to our bedroom in order to tidy myself up, but it was too late to escape; Rob had seen me. He caught my eye and smiled, one of those smiles which made my heart melt and race at the same time, made me wonder whether I was perhaps not as dishevelled as I thought after all, whether perhaps I was truly beautiful. My feet came into their own, and I found myself gravitating towards that stunner of a smile.

'Hey you,' he said, his voice sleepy and gravely, sexy as could be.

I slunk towards his chair, and as I bent to kiss him he grabbed me and pulled me, tumbling down into his lap, laughing. I nestled into his chest, and he looped his arms round me.

'Feeling better?' he asked, mouth buried into my hair. 'Wanna tell me about it?'

'Not particularly.' I murmured into him, but I continued nevertheless. I explained to him the dream, and the explanation was in great detail, for, to my intense dismay, I could still see the dream as though it were happening all over again every time I closed my eyes.

By the time I had finished, I was sobbing again, and Rob's naked chest was slick with my tears.

'Okay, you,' Rob whispered, 'I think we need to let Dr. Krantz know about this.'

And so with a final hug, I pulled myself off Rob and grabbed the telephone. I sat down on the living room couch, and dialled in Cyrus' number. But then I hesitated.

Unable to meet his eyes, incredibly embarrassed, I murmured, barely audibly 'Rob?' I felt like an idiot, 'Hold me?'

To my surprise, Rob didn't laugh or complain, but only replied 'Coming.' and rose from the table, leaving his newspaper and coffee behind. He folded his body around mine on the couch and once we were comfortable, I pressed the call button.

Cyrus picked up almost immediately with 'Jessica? Any news on the case?'

'Well, hello and how are you to you too. Nice to know your caller ID is in perfect working order.'

'Yes, Jessica, very amusing. What is it you have to tell me?'

I explained my dream for the second time that morning, and Krantz listened patiently down the phone.

'But you didn't get an exact location?'

'No. I'm sorry.' I was on the verge of crying again, but Rob's thumbs reached up and wiped away the tears forming in my eyes. 'I just… I don't know where I was.' I concluded, resignedly. 'I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me… this has never… I mean, I didn't mean to… I didn't expect…'

I could hear Krantz sigh. 'Actually, Jessica, this is more my fault than yours. I haven't been completely honest with you. The children who have been kidnapped, they're… well… special.'

I wrinkled my nose. 'How? And… so? At the risk of sounding childish and immature, not to mention rude, how does that affect me?'

'Well… here's the thing. You must have realised you're not the only person with… supernatural powers?'

Even to me, who had not spent a great amount of time thinking about others in my situation (okay, just about none) it was obvious that others _must _be in my situation. If it could happen to me, it could, and would, affect others. 'Of course.'

'Well, some years ago, the FBI had a group of employees who were close. Friends. And one cold winter night they all went out together.'

'And, let me guess, got struck by lightning.'

'Well…no. Not quite. They walked across a frozen lake, and in the middle, the ice was weak. And when they walked on it, their weight destroyed it. They fell through into the freezing cold water. Nobody found them for a week, as they had not told anyone where they were, and with ice covering much of he lake, nobody saw them. The next weekend, when the ice defrosted, they were spotted. And, contrary to anything expected, or even hoped, they were not dead. They were not even frostbitten. They were simply lying on their backs in a circle, all seven of them holding hands. When they were pulled out, they were awake, talking coherently and aware of their situation.'

'Amazing.' I contributed. But I still couldn't work out what it had to do with me.

'Yes,' continued Krantz. 'A medical mystery, everyone said. Not a mark on them. But they had changed. Dramatically. Two weeks later, when they returned to work, they let their superiors know that they had developed… powers. Yes. Supernatural powers.'

'Ahhhh,' realisation hit me.

'Some of them not unlike your own. There was a range of different talents. One, I believe, could communicate telepathically, another move things with his mind. Two could _read_ minds. One could see through inanimate objects, such as walls or tables, while his girlfriend could move through them, and could take others with her if she was touching them. The last? Located missing people in his sleep. He's our current Head of the FBI.'

I gasped, and felt Rob's arms tighten around me.

'Which,' Cyrus continued, 'May be why the FBI were-are-so interested in you.'

'Why… Why have I not heard about these people before?'

'They handled their powers better than you. They didn't enter into using them rashly; they went straight to the FBI. And, knowing we could use them, the FBI didn't let anyone know. They kept them secret, and they… tested them. Found out what they could do.

Of course, you must understand that this was 30 odd years ago, and the agents were young. They were our first Special Ops division. And for a few years they had very little to do except practice. But then, in 1974, when the agents were all about 25, an assignment was found for them.

'America was losing the Vietnam War, and we all knew it. So they sent the Special Ops team in as a last ditch attempt to turn things around. They did all they could, and were probably the most diligent, overworked unit in the American Army. But there was a problem. The Americans were swollen-headed. They believed they were superior. They never even considered that Ho Chi Minh could have tricks up his sleeve as well. Within days of our Special Operations soldiers beginning to fight, Vietnam sent in their own Special Operations force, whose entire aim was to combat ours. Their team was perhaps four times as large as America's. They succeeded, and on April 30th, 1975, America was beaten, and control of Vietnam was handed over to Ho Chi Minh. Our soldiers came back defeated.

'For the next twenty years the Special Operations Unit kept working. They helped America fight and win some very important battles. But eventually, they all retired from the unit and moved to desk jobs or left the FBI. America's Special Ops unit fell apart. But we don't think Vietnam's did. The members of our division settled down, got married, began to raise families. For the past ten years or so they've been fairly inactive, and there have been no problems. Until the past month. Five of the seven operatives have had one of their children go missing. And there is no way it's a coincidence. We think the Vietnamese Special Ops division is behind it.'


End file.
